Persona 3: Twisted Melodies
by Mistress of Madness
Summary: Music plays as he decides, looking into his eyes. This was the end of it all. So twisted, so lovely. And the music keeps playing.
1. Chapter 1

**P3: Twisted Melodies**

A blue-haired boy taps his foot against the ground as he waits for his train to arrive. He looked over the crowd of people who were in the area. Each of their faces told a different story. Each story was one of suffering and pain. Every single one cut through their hearts. And they go about life, contemplating whether to keep it or not.

The boy closed his eyes and leaned against the barest of the bench he was seated at. Music was blasting in his ears. He didn't mind the volume for the music kept his sanity intact.

He had a horrid past, as people would put it. His parents died in a car crash when he was young. The boy knew this to be false, but no one listened. He tried to explain it to the police, but they kicked him out of the station.

His sister had been taken away from him shortly after by their grandfather, thinking him to be a bad influence on her. He wasn't. He simply knew the truth. He wasn't insane like all those people pegged him as. He was merely aware of the existence of beings morbidly horrifying.

After that, he had been passed on from family to family. None of them wanted him, thinking him to be an unlucky spawn of the demons, for everywhere he went, catastrophes happened. They weren't his fault. All he ever did was try to live the life that he had lost.

He also had nightmares. The boy hated them. Every night they got worse and then lead back into the numbing nothingness. He noticed his nightmares were most morbid during a full moon. It always seemed like something wanted to rip out of him and tear everything to shreds.

He never told anyone. But he listened. When people came to talk to him, ask for help, he listened and gave them advices. When people were weakened, he kept them strong. When people were broken, he'd patch them up. Only hoping that they could go on on their own from there.

Just then, the train came by, slowing down to a stop. The boy stood from his seat, taking his place inside the vehicle

His name was Minato Arisato, and he was certain of one thing: Humans were the ones that caused destruction to themselves.

_Time never waits._

_It delivers us all equally to the same end._

_You who wish to safeguard the future,_

_However limited it may be…_

_You will be given one year;_

_Go forth without falter,_

_With your heart as your guide…_

Minato opened his eyes and looked out the window and sighed. It was late. Very late. Unfortunately, along the way, the train had run into some difficulties and therefore couldn't proceed until they were fixed which had delayed the trip by several hours.

He was headed to his hometown, not that he had a home. It was his own decision, being tired of getting passed from relative to relative to relatives he didn't even know he had.

When he had gotten a full scholarship invite from one of the schools in the area, he agreed immediately. No one was saddened by his leave. Not even the people who called him their 'friend'.

He heard the PA come on then, though he wasn't listening. The train slowly came to a stop and he got off, heaving his bag over his shoulders.

Minato checked the watch he was wearing. He had several minutes until _that _time. He got out of the station just as the world turned green.

The boy looked up at the eerie yellow moon which seemed much larger than it usually did and then at his surroundings. There were puddles of blood and coffins everywhere, yet he seemed unfazed.

This was something he experienced everyday. Well, everyday since his parents died…

The boy took out a paper from one of his pockets and looked over its contents one more time before crumpling it and throwing it in a nearby trash can.

He needed no maps. Each and every route going to whichever place was etched into his memory. This place was familiar to him like the back of his own hand.

Minato began to walk to his destination; the Iwatodai dorm, a supposed co-ed dorm for scholarship grantees. Well, he wasn't so sure about that. He had also researched ahead about the school he was going to be transferring to; Gekkoukan High School. It is owned by the Kirijo Group on a man-made island which was also owned by the same group.

The walk was not long. Although, he was surprised to find the lights on. Anything electronic was not supposed to work during the hour. Well, that's what he thought at least. The boy looked down on his music player which was hanging around his neck.

Deciding the matter unimportant for now, Minato stepped in.

"Welcome."

Minato snapped his head to the direction of the voice. It sounded like the voice of a child, yet there was a tone to it that sent shivers down his spine…

"You're late. I've been waiting a long time…"

A young boy stepped out of the shadows, smiling at him. "If you wish to proceed, then please sign here." The boy gestured towards the counter beside them where a thin, red book was set. With a snap of his finger, the book flipped open.

Minato looked at the boy and then at the book. Something at the back of his head was telling him not to do it, yet he approached the book.

_I, the undersigned, chooseth this fate of mine own free will._

"It's a contract." The boy continued, standing beside Minato. "There's no need to be scared… It only binds you to accepting full responsibility for your actions." The boy set a pen down next to it.

Minato took it in his hands, although he made no move to sign it. He merely stared at it, conflicted. Although…

He signed it.

The book closed as the pen disappeared.

"Very well…" The boy took it in his hands and smiled once more. "Time is something no one can escape. It delivers us all to the same end…" He began to disappear then. "… Wishing won't make it go away…"

"And so it begins…"

Minato stared at the spot where the boy was earlier. Of course, in a time where everything turned green, water turned to blood, humans turned to coffins, there had to be young trippy boys that vanish into thin air to complete the whole creepy scenario, right? Right.

"Who's there!?"

Minato turned to the direction of the voice. It was a feminine voice, and the tone sounded panicked. He nodded to himself. It would only be natural for a girl to be panicked at this time of night, what was not natural was how she was awake at the time. She should be in a coffin about now. Well, the boy from earlier should've been in one as well, but well… he wasn't, well, normal.

Upon closer inspection, Minato noticed that the girl was carrying a gun and pointing it at him. Right, well he wasn't planning to die. And judging from how she was shaking, she wasn't ready to kill.

He got into stance as the girl was forcing herself to pull the trigger.

"Takeba, wait!" Another older, more authorative female voice said in a different kind of panic.

And then, the lights switched on.

Minato looked both girls over. The girl with the gun was a short-haired brunette who seemed his age, while the other one was a red-head whose hair ended in big curls. She seemed to be a year older at most.

The red-head approached him. "I didn't think you'd arrive so late." She said in what seemed to be a relieved tone. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

The brunette looked at him warily. "Who's he?" She whispered to Mitsuru.

Minato's gaze shifted to Mitsuru, awaiting her answer.

"He's a transfer student." She told the brunette. "It was a last minute decision to assign him here." Mitsuru gave the other girl a look, although he couldn't identify what kind of look it was. She then looked at Minato. "He'll eventually be moved to a room in the boy's dorm." Minato raised an eyebrow at that. Wasn't this the grantees dorm?

The other girl looked at him then at the red-head, apparently not getting the look she was given earlier. "Is it okay for him to be here?"

He was right there too…

Mitsuru smirked at that. "I guess we'll see." They were seriously forgetting the he was right _in front_ of them. She turned to Minato, deciding that he's heard enough, and gestured to the brunette. "This is Yukari Takeba. She will be a junior this spring, just like you."

Yukari bowed awkwardly. "… Hey…"

Minato merely nodded at her in recognition. "Minato Arisato."

"It's getting late, so you should get some rest." Mitsuru said, stating the obvious. Although, her tone was rather displeased and since she was looking at Minato it would be because of his lack of respect. Well, she really can't blame him. He was the one got a gun pointed at him earlier. "Your room is at the second floor at the end of the hallway. Your things should already be there."

Should?

"Oh! I'll show you the way!" Yukari said. "Follow me."

And they walked up the stairs and went to the farthest room which was in fact at the end of the hallway. He never would've guessed. Do note the sarcasm there.

"This is it." Yukari started. "Pretty easy to remember, huh? Since it's right at the end of the hall." She laughed a little at that, but when Minato looked at her, his face expressionless, she stopped. " … So… Any questions?"

"The contract. What was that all about?" He asked, not thinking.

Yukari gave him a look. "What're you talking about?"

Minato wanted to hit his head against the wall. Of course she didn't know about what he was talking about. All the trippy things happened to him after all.

He grunted. "Never mind…"

Yukari reached into her pocket to get something. It was the key to his room. "Make sure you don't lose your key, or you'll never here the end of it…" She reminded before getting uncomfortable. "… Um, can I ask you something?"

Minato nodded, leaning against the door, wanting sleep.

"On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"

Minato nodded again. "Nothing out of the usual for me."

"I see… Never mind then" Yukari turned to leave. "Well, I better get going." Just as she reaches the staircase, she turns around to face Minato. "I'm sure you still have other questions, but let's save them for later, okay? Goodnight."

Minato sighed and entered his room, merely dropping his bag on the floor as his head crashed against the pillow.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Minato scratched his head. He was shirtless, and he couldn't seem to find where his shirt was.

There were three knocks on the door. Minato groaned. Of course, somebody had to knock on his door now.

"It's Yukari. Are you awake?"

Just his luck, too. And not to mention the fact the he still couldn't find his shirt. On normal circumstances, he would answer the door, but since he didn't want to be rude he chose to ignore the girl and find his bloody shirt.

She knocked again. "Hello! Please answer the door or I'll get in trouble!"

Minato sighed and went to answer the door. Yukari smiled at him with practiced cheerfulness.

"Good morning. Did you sleep okay? Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school. It's getting late… Are you ready to go?"

Minato raised an eyebrow as he gestured to his body. "Does this answer your question?"

Yukari's face heated up. "Oh, uh… Where's your shirt?"

"Being stupid and playing hide and seek." Minato grumbled as he went for another box. And what a surprise, his shirt was there. The boy practically ripped it as he took it out. He turned to Yukari who was still waiting by the door. "You may go ahead, if you want."

Yukari shook her head. "You don't want to risk being late on the first day do you?" Seeing as he was already fully clothed Yukari began to walk away. "Come on, hurry!"

Minato sighed as he took his bag and followed after her. He hadn't even had breakfast yet… Breakfast was important damn it!

**~ Memento Mori ~**

They were riding on the monorail to school now. Yukari had told him several things that weren't mentioned on the pamphlet and the site when he looked it up, and judging from the tone of her voice, she really liked the place.

Just when the monorail began riding over the sea, Yukari got excited and began looking out the window. She grinned at him. "Look over there!"

He did… and holy crap! That is one fancy-looking school.

The school was just a short walk from the station. And now that he had a better look at it, he could tell that its facilities were not disappointing like in his previous schools. A girl on her bicycle rode past them, waving hello.

Yukari turned to him. "Well, this is it. Welcome to Gekkoukan High! You're gonna love it here!"

Minato allowed a slight smile. He hoped that he would.

"You're okay from here right?" Yukari asked once they were inside. Minato was looking for his shoe locker. "You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The faculty office is right there to the left." She pointed in the general direction. "And that concludes the tour! Do you have any questions before I go?"

Minato looked at her incredously. Some tour. He shook his head.

Yukari was about to leave then, but she seemed to have remembered something and turned to him once more. "Hey… About last night… Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay? See ya later." And with that, she left.

Minato thought about checking the bulletin board to see what class he was in, but decided against it. With his luck, his name probably wouldn't be on it. He proceeded to the faculty office and slid the door open.

"Oh, are you the new student?" A female teacher who was wearing a pink suit turned to him. She had short, light brown hair.

Minato nodded.

"Minato Arisato… Eleventh grade, correct?" She asked, looking through the files. He gave another nod. "Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places…" Well, being passed around did have its benefits… "Let's see… In 1999… That was what? Ten years ago?" She looked at him again. He nodded. "Your parents-!" She gasped, looking down. "… I'm sorry… I've been so busy I didn't have time to read this before hand…" Minato sweatdropped. So she chose to read it now? She looked up at him again. "I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach composition. Welcome to our school."

Minato bowed slightly. "Pleasure to meet you." He drawled out.

She smiled slightly. "Have you seen the classroom assignments?"

He shook his head.

"You're in 2-F; that's my class. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming ceremony should be starting soon. Follow me."

Minato sat near the back, allowing for an easy exit afterwards. He wasn't listening to the speech either. You here one, you've heard them all. What he was listening to was the rumours that were going about. They were about him too. Yay! Not.

Someone began tapping at his back then. "Psst… Hey…"

Minato tilted his head slightly to look at him.

"You came to school together with Yukari this morning, right?" Oh no, he didn't. "I saw you two walking together." Then why ask? "Hey, I have a question. Do you know if she has a boyfriend?"

Ah… Well, that explains it.

He shrugged.

"I see. I thought you might know, but I guess not… So how well do you know her?"

Minato shrugged again.

"I hear talking." A teacher from a different class said, eyes looking for the culprit. Minato slumped back on his seat, unnoticed. "I believe it's someone from Ms. Toriumi's class…"

The said teacher glared at the student that had been talking to him.. "Shh! Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!"

Minato closed his eyes and focused on his hearing. If he did, he could hear five rows in front of him.

They were still talking about him. Figures.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

The day had passed by uneventfully and he had been accepted wholeheartedly by his class. Minato stood up to leave, but just as he was about to, he was approached by one of the male students.

"S'up, dude? How's it goin'?"

Minato looked at him speculatively. The student had bright smile on, as if he was excited over something. "Who are you?" Minato asked.

"Me?"

No, he was talking to the chair. Right chair? Fine. Be that way.

"I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya." The student introduced, becoming smart. "I transferred here when I was in the eighth grade. I know how tough it is being the new kid… So I say, 'hey.'… See what a nice guy I am!"

Minato sweatdropped again. So, he was the show-off type.

Just then, they were approached by Yukari.

"Hey, it's Yuka-tan!" Minato looked at Junpei. Yuka-tan? "I didn't think we'd be in the same homeroom again."

Yukari sighed. "At it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"

Junpei mocked hurt. "What? But I was just being friendly."

"If you say so…" Yukari turned to Minato. "Anyways, looks like we're in the same homeroom."

Minato shrugged. "It's a coincidence, really."

"I know, but still… I'm a little surprised."

"Um, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class too?" Junpei spoke up he then smirked. "By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What's up with tha? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

And how exactly was that a big issue?

"Wh-what are you talking about!?" Yukari exclaimed, flustered. "We live in the same dorm." Exactly. But people didn't really know that, did they? "Why are people even talking about it!? Now you have me worried…"

Junpei glanced at Minato who, in turn, simply shrugged.

Yukari groaned but then took Minato by the arm, giving a warning glare to Junpei. "Hey…" She whispered failingly. "You didn't say anything about… you know what did you?"

Minato shook his head.

"Okay, good." The girl sighed in relief. "Seriously… Don't tell anyone about last night."

And Minato promptly facepalmed, dragging his hand down his face. She wasn't whispering that part either…

"L-last night…?"

Here we go…

Yukari, realizing the meaning behind what she said, blushed profusely. "W-wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea!" Minato sighed in annoyance. "Listen! I just met him yesterday, and there's absolutely nothing between us!"

Minato lay a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "I don't think Junpei will listen. And besides, denying things gives them credibility, even more so when your tone is defensive."

"But this about you as well!"

Minato shrugged.

Yukari sighed in defeat. "Geez… Anyways, I've gotta go. I've gotta take care of something for the Archery team." She glared at Junpei. "But you better not start any rumors!" And with that, she left, slamming the door of the classroom shut.

Junpei shrugged. "Ah, who cares? No one takes rumors seriously, anyway. She's so paranoid…" Minato shrugged as well. "But, hey! It's your first day here and people are already talking about you! Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular." Junpei smirked, raising his hand for a high-five. "You da man!" Minato gave him it. "Heheh, this is gonna be a fun year. I can feel it!"

Minato walked back with Junpei until they had to separate ways. He merely listened as Junpei talked about the girls of the school and how it was unfair that every single one of them turned him down. But then they had split directions.

"Bye, man! See ya tomorrow!" Junpei said. Minato walked away, giving him a two-fingered wave.

"Welcome back." Mitsuru greeted when he got back. He nodded at her in recognition before turning to sign in at the counter.

Minato yawned and therefore took that as a sign that he was still tired and decided to go back to his room.

On his way up, he ran into a silver-haired male. They merely nodded at each other in recognition.

When Minato saw the mess that was his room, he merely shrugged and decided to deal with it some other time. For now, he would sleep…


	2. Chapter 2

**P3: Twisted Melodies**

Minato yawned as he walked to school the next day. His bag was slung over his shoulder and his hands were tucked in his pockets. People were talking around him so he decided to listen. He wasn't eavesdropping, really. He just liked listening. A lot.

"Hey did you hear the rumour?" A girl said. Minato perked up, just in case this was about him.

The girl's friend looked confused. "Uh… something about a… bathroom?"

The girl facepalmed. "No! Not that one!" So it was a rumour? "I mean the one about the first year student! Not only did she stop coming to school, she does nothing but sit there and stare at the walls all day, she only mutters to herself 'It's coming! It's coming!'"

"Huh. How about that?"

The girl pouted. "You don't believe me…?"

Well, she might've said that, but Minato could tell that she didn't believe any of it herself.

And then the first bell rang.

Minato walked into the school as well as the rest of the students who hadn't yet.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

It was after lunch and their class was currently Composition. Now, Minato had no problem with that, but he loved his sleep. He really did.

"Hakushu Kitahara is great, "Ms. Toriumi said just as Minato lay his head on his palm, covering his only visible eye, "but I prefer Fuyuhiko Yoshimura. His works aren't as famous, but that's what I like about him." Good, now sleep… "My personal favourite is 'Mangekyo'. Why isn't it ever in the textbooks? I'll bring it next time so you can write an essay on it… Hey, Junpei! Were you listening? Who did I say was my favourite author?"

Minato heard the rustling of seat. "H-huh? U-um… Psst! Minato, who does she like?"

At that, Minato's eyes flew open to glare at the capped boy but then a brilliant idea came to mind. "Minato Arisato." He drawled out.

"Minato Arisato!" Junpei announced. "Wait…"

"Wrong!" Minato felt pleased at that and resumed his slumber. "Why won't you ever pay attention to my lectures!? You'll make me cry if you keep this up! Listen next time!"

Junpei sat down, dejected. "I-I'm sorry!" He then turned to Minato. "You're gonna pay for this, Minato…!"

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Minato shut the door behind him as he entered the dorm. Just as he did, Yukari and a man in a suit stood up.

"There he is." Yukari stated.

The man smiled. " So this is our new guest…" He approached the boy extending his hand out. "Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the chairman of the board for your school." Minato shook it and they began walking to the couches. "'Ikutsuki'… Hard to say isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes." He laughed while Minato stood there. "Please have a seat." And they all sat down.

Wow, these couches were actually pretty comfy…

"I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations." Ikutsuki started. "However, it may take a while longer before you receive a proper room assignment. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"

Minato nodded. "Isn't this the scholarship grantees dorm?"

Ikutsuki pushed up his glasses. "Ah… That is a common misconception. Not all scholarship grantees board here. Anything else?"

Minato shook his head. "Thanks."

"Then, I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He stood to leave. "You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed earls. You know what they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm!'" He laughed a little. "Please forgive the bad pun." And with that he left

Minato stared at the man's figure with a dead face, thinking if he was serious or not.

Yukari shook her head in shame. "You'll get used to his bad jokes."

He certainly hoped not.

Minato stood up and went to the kitchen. He hadn't eaten properly, and he was very hungry. Fooood….

"Uh… You should go to bed…" Yukari looked at him with concern, or rather, it was like she was prompting him to do so.

Minato shook his head as he took out a frying pan and a casserole. "Not without eating dinner I'm not." He looked at Yukari as he threw open the cupboards. "You guys got any pasta?"

**~ Memento Mori ~**

An hour later, Minato had finished cooking steak and pasta enough for two. It wasn't much really, just steak and pasta covered with spaghetti sauce. He learned the basics of cooking from his mother and from there expanded his knowledge on the subject on his own since whenever they ate, he would be left out. Minato had figured that it was either cook or starve.

"Oh, wow…" Yukari murmured as she stared at the plate in front of her.

Minato shrugged. "Itadakimasu." He said and began eating. Yukari followed suit.

"This is really good." She said after she took the first bite.

Minato shrugged. "Yeah, thanks. Whatever…"

Yukari didn't know how it happened, but as they were eating, she had begun to lay out her life story to the blue-haired boy. He ate as she spoke and washed the dishes as she sat there, finishing up her sob story. It was like, she was compelled to do so, like he was sucking it out of her.

"So that's it. Pretty sappy, right?"

Minato tilted his head at her direction and gave off a small smile. "It's nothing compared to mine." With that, he placed the drying towel on its rack and went to bed, leaving the girl staring at him in disbelief.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

That night Minato had dreamt. He was being sucked in by a blue light in an abyss of nothing but darkness. As he got closer, the light was revealed to have been from inside a velvety blue door, and as soon as it opened, he found himself on a chair across a man with a ridiculously long nose and a woman in a blue elevator attendant attire that matched the theme of the place.

He looked around. There were sets of doors at the side, the floor was carpeted with a blue color and they seemed to be rising, like in an elevator by the way the lights went down. His eyes focused at the man who seemed to be looking at him speculatively.

The man grinned, his spiked ears twitching upwards. "Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man…"

Minato looked into his bloodshot, bulging eyes, transfixed. The man smiled. "My name is Igor… I am delighted to make your acquaintance." Minato swallowed the lump in his throat as he gestured to the girl standing behind his seat. "This is Elizabeth. She is a resident here like myself."

The girl, Elizabeth, gave a curt nod. "Pleased to meet you."

Igor turned his focus back to Minato. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter…" He then began to grin widely. "It's been years since we've had a guest." And with a mere wave of his hand, a familiar red book materialized on the table in front of them, once again flipping itself open.

_I, Minato Arisato, chooseth this fate of mine own free will._

Minato looked right at Igor's eyes as he spoke. "Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place… Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so." Igor seemed to look deep into Minato's soul. "I only ask one thing in return… that you abide by the contract and assume responsibility for the choices that you make."

The boy nodded. That was something he did on a daily basis. "I've a question: Since this place is between dream and reality, this is a dream, right?"

"Precisely…" Igor continued to grin. "You are fast asleep in the real world as we speak. This visit of yours is merely a dream. However, you will come here of your own accord, sooner or later."

Minato nodded. He figured that this was the only place that he could get answers from.

Igor waved his hand once more and a glowing blue key with an intricate pattern materialized in his hand. He handed it to Minato. "Hold on to this…"

Minato reached out to take it.

'"Til we meet again…"

Minato closed his eyes to blink, but when he opened them, he was back in his room. He sat up, shaking the weird dream out of his head. Only then did he feel a cold object in his right hand.

He held out his palm to stare at the key. Dream and reality, eh?

Minato placed the key on his desk. He would take it with him after he'd eaten and changed.

Outside, he ran into the same silver-haired guy from the other day, but he was already dressed. Minato gave a nod at his direction.

The guy nodded back. "Morning." And then jogged down the steps.

Minato took his time with making breakfast since he had gotten up fairly early and decided to cook up bacon and eggs with toast and hot chocolate. Afterwards, he washed the dishes and went for a shower.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

It was Classic Literature period and Minato was bored out of his skull. All Mr. Ekoda seemed to talk about was how magnificent everything was. It annoyed him, really. So Minato opted for a wise action: Sleeping!

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Minato looked at the sky as he sat on his seat on the monorail. The sun was setting and he could already get a clear view of the moon. He shuddered. For some reason he felt that something would happen. He wasn't quite sure if it was good or bad.

He stood up as the train ground to a halt. With hands in his pockets and music blasting in his ears, Minato Arisato made his way to the dormitory, unaware of the unravelling thread of his fate.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Minato sat up on his bed. He just couldn't sleep. The boy had tossed and turned and even tried lying down at the foot of his bed, but it didn't work.

An hour later, he had given up and decided to fix his things, putting his clothes in the closet and the other stuff where he saw them fit. He had a couple of DVDs which he placed in the CD case under the TV, his books where placed on the shelf that was above his bed, on the night table was an hour glass that dripped blue liquid with every second as well as an alarm clock shaped like a guitar, on the desk, he placed all school-related items either on top of it or in one of the drawers. Before he had known it, it was already 30 minutes before midnight.

Minato sighed as he sat down on the wheelie chair. He still wasn't sleepy so he pulled out a copy of the book Ekoda was talking about

He had already read a quarter of it when suddenly everything turned green.

Minato sighed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Persona 3: Twisted Melodies**

Minato snapped the book shut and put it back in its place before putting on his school uniform. He had no idea why, but he felt like it. And he trusted whatever he felt like doing.

And then the ground shook.

Right then.

He pried open the window and was already about to get out when someone began banging his door down.

"Wake up!" He heard Yukari shout frantically so he got off the window and slammed it shut. "Sorry, I'm coming in!" And with a click, she was inside and panting hard.

"Is-" Minato started but was cut off.

She marched in and grabbed his wrist. "I don't have time to explain. We have to get out of here, now!"

"All right."

Yukari stopped and turned to him, lifting a sword. "Take this, just in case…"

Minato took it.

The ground shook once again, harder this time.

"Hurry! Downstairs! We'll leave through the back door!"

Minato let Yukari run ahead of him. The brunette panted hard. "All right, we should be safe now…"

Then there was beeping. Yukari put a hand to her ear. "Y-yes! I hear you!" Yukari stated, still panicked. "What!?"

Loud bangs where heard from the back door, as if someone was planning to tear it down. Yukari jumped and took a step back.

"L-let's pull back."

The pair began climbing up the stairs, shaken and panicked.

"What're we going to do…?" Yukari mumbled. "They're downstairs! Do we have any choice but to go further up?"

Minato stiffened when they heard something break. "What was that!?" Yukari shrieked as the ground began shaking again.

The boy began to push her up. "Don't stop until we get to the top!"

Soon enough, they got to the rooftop. Yukari locked the door behind her, breathing a sigh of relief. "We should be safe for now."

But by the way the ground shook right after she had said those words, Minato could tell that they weren't safe at all. He looked around, looking for a possible route of escape for them, but saw something else.

A blue mask, held by a hand was peeking at them from the side of the roof. Yukari gasped in shock horror, Minato narrowed his eyes and took a stance. Then, more arms shot out, each holding a blade larger than his own. Minato hesitated. The thing was made of arms and was looking right at them. He could almost feel its killing intent,

Yukari edged away. "That monster… We call them Shadows."

Dammit Yukari! This was not the time explain!

She clutched her gun and raised it to her temple. "I can summon mine… No problem…"

Minato's eyes widened and was about to stop her when she got swatted aside. He took a step back, only stopping when he felt something land by his feet. He looked down. It was her gun. He looked back at the monster who was now focused at him. Suddenly, the image of the boy from his first night here appeared in his head. He was pointing a finger to the side of his head like how you would a gun.

"Go on…"

Minato picked up the gun, looking at it. It wasn't real, that was for sure. He remembered getting a hold of his father's gun once, it was heavy and cold. This one was light and was made of steel. He pointed it to his head as the Shadow approached.

"Per… So… Na…"

He pulled the trigger.

A loud smashing sound was heard, like glass had been broken.

" _Thou art I_

_And I am thou;_

_I am Orpheus, master of strings…_"

Minato had his gun hand in the air and was grinning like a madman. The sensation he was feeling at the moment was so sickeningly satisfying, so great, so powerful—

"ARGH!" He clutched his head as he fell to the ground on his knees. Orpheus roared out as well. Minato turned to look at him.

Arms shot out from Orpheus's mouth, ripping itself out of him. It was larger and wore a trench coat and a dinosaur helmet. In his right hand was a long sword and attached to his arms where coffins. This was Thanatos…

Thanatos roared and Minato's grin got madder. He could feel its fury… its desire… its hunger. He got up as Thanatos slashed the Shadow's mask in half. Minato heard Yukari shriek, but he didn't care, he was too transfixed watching Thanatos crush the creature that had instilled fear in them just moments ago like it was nothing.

Thanatos roared under the shine of the full moon's light before reverting back to Orpheus.

And Minato laughed. He clutched his stomach, laughing harder. Everything made perfect sense to him now. It was so sensible that it was hilarious and he just couldn't stop laughing.

He turned to Yukari who was looking at him with slight fear in her eyes, then they heard slithering in the back. Minato turned around and saw three similar creatures to the one before albeit smaller and unarmed. He clutched his sword in one hand and Yukari's gun in the other.

Minato charged at one of them, kicking it aside and stabbing the sword deep into its mask, cracking it. After that, he elbowed it, making the crack grow and retrieving his sword. He finished it off by crushing the mask under his foot.

The Shadow dissolved into ichor, coating his shoe. He span around just as one was about to claw him, making it hit his chest.

"Argh!" Minato fell to his knees, clutching the wounded area. He was laughing when he pointed the gun to his temple, and laughed harder when Orpheus came forth and bashed the Shadow with its lyre. But that didn't finish it off, it charged for himm asked cracked from the impact of the instrument.

"KYAH!" He heard Yukari scream as the other Shadow went for her. Minato smacked the Shadow currently with the swords handle, sending it back. He then ran for Yukari who was edging away from the Shadow. He summoned Orpheus once more and right after he smashed it with its instrument he cut the mask in half, effectively destroying the Shadow.

He span around, eyes looking for the previous Shadow. It was there, charging once again. Minato smacked the gun right at the center of the mask, making the crack grow further until it broke.

Minato panted hard, his hand travelling back to his wound. He fell to the ground, eyes closing.

Yukari gasped. "Are you okay!?" Yes, he got clawed at the chest all the time no biggie… "Come on! Say something!"

Minato's eyes closed further. Sleep seemed nice…

"Can you hear me!? Please! Answer me!"

As the world turned black, Minato was sucked in by the blue light once more. He was seated at the same seat he was at last time. He looked down at his chest, the wound wasn't there, but his shirt was torn. He turned his focus on Igor.

"It's so nice to see you again." He said with a smile. "You became unconscious after awakening to your 'power. It's nothing to worry about, though. So, just relax." Minato slumped in his seat, wincing a little. "I see that it was Orpheus who heeded your calling." He mumbled. "That power is called a Persona… It is a manifestation of your psyche."

"Excuse me?"

Igor chuckled. "It may take some time to fully comprehend. A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli." Minato nodded. He supposed that the external stimulus in the situation was shooting oneself in the head. "You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships. That being said, your power is still weak…"

Minato nodded again. That would certainly be the reason why he couldn't summon Thanatos for the second time around. Wait… How did he know its name?

"When you use your Persona ability, you must channel your inner strength." Igor explained. "The ability evolves as you develop your Social Links — your emotional ties with others. The stronger your Social Links, the more powerful your Persona ability. Please remember that."

Minato nodded.

Igor smiled. "Now, then… Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer."

Minato got up from his seat. "Next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord. Until then… Farewell."

The world turned black for real.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Minato resisted the urge to toss and turn. This wasn't his bed. It was nowhere near is comfy and soft. Heck, even the pillows were complete crap. He sat up and sighed. Now that he looked around, he realised that he wasn't even in the dorm anymore. He wasn't in his clothes either, rather he was wearing a hospital gown. Minato cursed. He hated hospitals.

Suddenly, the door slid open, revealing Yukari who was carrying some flowers with her. "You're awake!" She exclaimed in relief. "Um… How do you feel?" She set the flowers in the vase.

"Like a dog who got mugged and raped by a zebra. Where am I?"

Yukari sighed. Thank goodness you finally came to… How much sleep do you need!? You kept sleeping and sleeping! I was so worried about you…"

He slept a lot? How long has it been?

"…Oh yeah, this is Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. It's just a short walk from the station."

"How long has it been?"

"10 days. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong with you aside from blood loss. He said you were just exhausted and needed some blood, but otherwise okay… and yet you kept sleeping. You know how worried I was?" She semi-glared at him but then sighed. "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything… Even though I was supposed to protect you, I..." She sighed again. "But your power… It was amazing."

"What happened back there? Kinda blurry in my head…"

"The power you used… We call it 'Persona'…" Yukari started. §And those creatures you defeated are Shadows — our enemy."

Minato nodded. He knew that much from the information he gathered from Igor and what she said before all the mess…

"We'll explain everything later. I… Uh… Do you remember when I talked about my dad?"

Minato nodded.

Yukari took a deep breath. "He was working in a lab run by the Kirijo group when the explosion happened. So I'm hoping that if I stick around long enough, I'll find out what really happened. That's why I'm going to Gekkoukan High, and I why I was there when this happened to you." She let out a humourless laugh. "Of course, I panicked and wasn't much help… It was my first time fighting them, too… I'm sorry… You wouldn't have gone through all this if I wasn't such a coward…"

"That's all right. Besides, I was scared, too."

"Ha. How about that? And here I am telling you this the minute you wake up." She laughed again. "While I was waiting, I thought to myself, 'I've been hiding so many things from him… As soon as he wakes up, I'll tell him the truth.' So, thanks for listening. I've been wanting to share that story with someone for a long time now…"

Minato smiled softly. "Feel free to talk to me anytime."

Yukari smiled back. "Thanks. Alright, I'm gonna get going… I'll tell the others you woke up. Oh and, all your stuff's at the foot of your bed with a change of clothing and your books." She turned around to look at him from the door. "… Bye." And with that, she was gone.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Minato was finishing a burger and a can of Fanta when he ran into Yukari the next day. She waved as she walked up to him.

"Mornin'. You seem to be doing pretty well."

Minato shrugged. "I'm alright."

She smiled. "That's good. Um… Ikutsuki-san wants to talk to you today. Come to the fourth floor of the dorm after school, okay? Don't forget."

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Minato let out a small yawn. It was History period and all this talk about stones was boring him. Of course, he still took down notes. Heck, that's the only thing he did. Whenever the teacher would write something on the board, he'd write it down and give it definition based on what the teacher had said.

At some point, Mr. Ono, their teacher who was very passionate about samurais had decided to call Junpei to answer his question about the difference between the Palaeolithic and Neolithic eras.

"How am I supposed to know about something from way back then!?" He mumbled.

"How the tools were made." Minato mumbled loud enough for a couple of other students to hear but soft enough so the teacher wouldn't catch him.

"Huh?"

"How the tools were made." He hissed.

Junpei caught that and grinned. "How the tools were made, sir!"

"Correct. Palaeolithic tools were chipped stone, while Neolithic tools were ground stone. Either way, the still used stone _tools. _Ugh… When are we gonna get to the age of katanas?"

"Hey!" Junpei whined. "I answered right, don't I at least get some credit." He groaned when Mr. Ono's mumbling continued and sat back down. "Ah well… Thanks, Minato."

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Classes had ended for the day, so Minato rushed back to the dorm. There was no one there when he got back, however. They were probably already in the fourth floor like he was told.

Yukari was already there, about to grab the handle of the double doors when she took notice of him. "There you are!" C'mon…"

When they got inside, they saw Mitsuru, the Chairman, and the silver-haired boy from before where already seated. Minato eyed the metal briefcase on the table. He could practically guess what the content was.

Ikutsuki smiled and wave them over. "Ah, there you are…"


	4. Chapter 4

**P3: Twisted Melodies**

Ikutsuki gave off a relieved smile. "I'm glad that you're okay. The reason I asked you here was because I needed to talk to you." He figured that much. "Please have a seat."

Minato sat on the couch beside the silver-haired boy.

"Oh, before that. I don't think I've mentioned him, but this is Akihiko." He gestured.

Akihiko smiled. "How ya doin'?"

Minato shrugged. "Normal, you?"

"Pretty okay."

Ikutsuki coughed, returning the attention to him. "Okay, let me start off by asking you this... Would you believe me if I told you that a day consisted of more than 24 hours?"

Minato stared, not the 'I-Don't-Believe-A-Single-Word-You-Said Stare', it was an empty one. Did they really expect him to answer stuff like 'No' when the answer was clear as day? Well screw them.

And he shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Mitsuru nodded. "Do you remember the time you came here?" She asked to which Minato nodded. "You had to have noticed the signs… The streetlights went out, nothing was working, there were coffins everywhere… Didn't it feel like you were in a different time?" She cut him off as he drew breath. "That's the Dark Hour – a time period hidden between one day and the next."

"Hidden?" This he didn't know since he was almost always in his room when the clock struck twelve. Also, Dark Hour sounded a bit weird to him, he always called it Trippy Time, he didn't say that though…

"I guess it's more like something people aren't aware of." Ikutsuki interjected. "But the Dark Hour does exist. It occurs each night, at midnight." He knew that too. "It'll happen tonight, and every night to come."

"Normal people don't realize it, since their all sleeping inside their coffins." Akihiko explained. "But that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting…" He smirked. "You saw those creatures." Here we go again. "We call them 'Shadows.'" Minato didn't even need to be told twice. Say it and he'll remember. "They only appear during the Dark Hour and attack anyone not in a coffin. It's our job to defeat them… Sounds exciting, huh?"

Minato remembered being clawed. He did not like that.

"Akihiko! Why are you always like that? You just got hurt the other day!" Reprimanded Mitsuru.

"Now, now. He does his work well." Ikutsuki said in an attempt to calm the red-head down, he then turned to Minato. "Long story short, we're the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad – SEES for short. On paper, we're classified as a school club. But in reality, this group is dedicated to defeating the Shadows. Mitsuru is the leader. I'm the club advisor."

He was kidding, right? Did he know how suspicious that name was?

Just as Minato was about to open his mouth, Mitsuru had cut him off. "A Shadow feeds on the mind of its prey; the victim becomes a living corpse. They're responsible for most of the incident on the news, if not all of them."

Well, yeah… But the name, dammit!

Minato sighed to himself.

"Although rare, there are those who function during the Dark Hour." Ikutsuki stated. "Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows." Here we go… "That's 'Persona' – the power you used the other night." Ah…. Wait, what?

"You knew?"

"Why, yes." Ikutsuki affirmed. "We had been watching you from the surveillance syste-"

"For short, you saw everything that happened and didn't go to help." Minato stated bluntly. "What were you gonna do if Yukari and I had died because you were overestimating my abilities!?" He snapped.

"I apologize. Mitsuru and Akihiko were about to rush to help you, but then you picked up Yukari's evoker…"

Tch. Providing an excuse when you apologize renders the apology void.

"Whatever. So?"

Mitsuru opened the case on the table. From inside it, a gun similar to Yukari's gleamed. "What he was trying to say is, we want you to join us." She told him, holding the gun out at his direction. "We've prepared an Evoker for you. We'd like you to lend us your strength."

_I chooseth this fate of mine own free will…_

Minato took it.

Yukari breathed a sigh of relief. "I was afraid you'd say no… Welcome aboard!"

Ikutsuki smiled. "Thank you so much. I'm really glad." Minato grunted. They knew he would say yes. "Oh, I almost forgot." Minato looked at him. "About your room assignment… Why don't you stay here, in your current room? I don't know what the hold-up is, but I guess it worked out in the end." He chuckled.

Minato sweatdropped. Yeah, sure. We'll roll with that.

"Hold-up?" Yukari questioned. "But wasn't that- Oh never mind… It doesn't matter anymore…"

SMASH!

Time stopped around Minato as a card Materialized in head. It had an image of a man prancing around with a dog behind him. It had '0' written at the bottom.

_Thou art I,_

_And I am thou…_

_Thou shalt have our blessing when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana…_

The card vanished and time started again.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

"Hi, how are you?"

Minato sat up at the voice. He'd recognize it anywhere. However, it was the Dark Hour, so things could only get trippy from there. The boy was sitting at the edge of his bed, smiling at him.

"And you are?"

"We've met before." Yeah, but that didn't answer his question. "Soon, the end will come. I remembered, so I though I should tell you." Yep, trippy…

"The end?"

The boy nodded. "The end of everything." What? "But to be honest, I don't really know what it is…"

"Well, that's helpful…" He replied sarcastically.

He smiled at him again. "Oh, looks like you've awakened to your power… and an unusual power it is." Huh. "A power that takes many forms, yet is bound by none… It may prove to be your salvation, depending on where you end up."

Minato stared at the boy as he stood up. He faced him again. "Do you remember when we first met?" How could he forget? "I expect you to honour our commitment." He intended to do that. "I'll be watching you, even if you for get about me." And how do you propose he does that? "Okay then, see you later…"

Before he even had the chance to tell the kid goodbye, he had vanished and the words had changed, "That doesn't get any less trippy."

**~ Memento Mori ~**

"Dude," Junpei said as he approached Minato after school the next day. "Guess what."

"What?" Minato asked, heaving his bag over his shoulder and tucking his hands into his pockets.

Junpei grinned. "I'm moving into your dorm!"

And Minato promptly ran into the wall. "Seriously?" He asked, rubbing his nose in pain. He really should've expected this…

"Of course I'm serious! Just don't tell Yuka-tan…" He hissed into his ear.

Minato shrugged as they walked out of the classroom.

"Hey guys!" Yukari said as she walked up to them.

"Guess what, Yukari." Minato told her.

"Dude!" Junpei protested.

Yukari raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Junpei's stupid." Minato said jokingly earning a laugh and a punch to his arm.

"I resent that, you know!" Junpei whined. "Hey, man…"

"Yeah?"

"Could you come with me? I need help."

Minato shrugged. "Sure." He turned to Yukari. "See ya at the dorm."

The girl nodded. "Bye." And thus she walked off.

"C'mon!" Junpei sped up once Yukari was out of his line of sight. "I need to get some stuff from Paulownia Mall!"

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Junpei bought a couple of plastic containers, shampoo and body soap. When Minato asked him why he bought the plastic wear, Junpei replied that if you didn't store your food separately, it would get eaten. Minato told him his room had a mini-fridge.

"What!?" Junpei sulked to which Minato simply shrugged.

"Need me for anything else?"

"No. Thanks, man!"

Minato shrugged. "Anytime." With that, he walked into the music store.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Minato was seating on the couch on the first floor, transferring his newly purchased music to his player when Yukari came down the stairs.

"Hey." She said, sitting down opposite him.

Minato nodded in recognition. Why was there no internet?

"What're you doing?" Yukari asked.

"Transferring music." Minato drawled out in response.

"Oh…"

Silence...

"So… um…" Minato looked up from the screen as Yukari spoke, but then the door opened.

"Akihiko-senpai! Welcome back." Yukari grunted, Minato nodded.

Akihiko nodded at them both. "There's someone I wanna introduce." He turned to look out the door. "Hey, hurry up!"

"Hold your horses…" A familiar voice grunted. "This is freakin' heavy!" Junpei came in through the double doors, a big grin on his face. He chuckled. "Wazzup?"

Yukari stood up in shock. "J-Junpei!?" So that was why Junpei didn't want him to tell her… "Why is _he _here!?" Realization dawned upon her. "Wait… Don't tell me…"

"This is Junpei Iori from Class 2-F." They knew that already. "He'll be staying here as of today."

Obviously.

"He's staying _here_!?" Apparently, not obviously. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Chill, woman…

"I bumped into him the other night." Akihiko explained. "He has the potential, but he just awakened to it recently… I told him about us, and he agreed to help."

Yukari turned to the capped boy in sheer shock. "_You _have the potential!? For real!?"

Junpei whined at her reaction, but Minato could tell that he was satisfied. "He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't remember much, but man… that was embarrassing." Minato snorted. "He said that's, ya know, completely normal in the beginning. Like, bein' confused and not remembering anything. Did ya guy know that?"

"How should I know?" Minato stated.

Junpei laughed. "Good one."

Minato shook his head. "No, I'm serious. Everything from ten years ago's a big blur to me." Well, except for his parents dying…

That took them back. "Seriously!?" Junpei asked.

Minato nodded.

"That explains why you've adapted so well…" Yukari said as she stared.

"Blargh! Who cares?" Junpei asked rhetorically. "Anyways, I was shocked to find out about you guys… I had no idea." No shit. "I'm glad I'm not the only one. It could get kinda lonely, ya know." He then grinned. "I bet you're stoked too, right!? Havin' me join…"

Minato knew that he merely saw this as a game, a mere game were he could play hero. He didn't even know how close he was to dying the other day.

Tch.

"Huh? Uh, y-yeah…"

Yukari sucked at lying, too…

"Well, enough with the introductions." Akihiko spoke. "I think we're about ready…"

Junpei turned to him. "We're gonna do something? Sweetness!"

Akihiko nodded. "With this many people, we can start exploring that place."

Yukari pondered this for a moment. "You mean… Tartarus…?"

"Tartarus? What's that? " Junpei asked. "Sounds like toothpaste."

Everyone decided to ignore him.

The silverette nodded again. "We believe we can find a reason for the Dark Hour there."

The girl looked down. "… I hope so…"

"The Chairmain will give us the details tomorrow night, so be ready."

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Minato helped Junpei carry his suitcase to his room after that. The capped boy practically glomped the mini-fridge once he saw it.

"Hey, Minato…"

"No, Junpei, I will not help you unpack. I'm tired." Minato said, before Junpei could even finish his sentence. If he had to do it alone, then he would too.

With that, the bluenette withdrew to the confines of his room.

He couldn't sleep a wink.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Minato yawned as he walked to school, more tired than usual. He had overheard some girl talking about an assembly. He'd have to catch up on his sleep there.

Classes didn't really interest him either, but he forced himself to stay up. He wasn't about to flunk…

Lunchtime came and the door to their room slid open, revealing Mitsuru. Student immediately got talking after that. Yeesh…

"Can I have a minute?" She asked. "Come to the lounge when you get back to the dorm. I have something to tell everyone."

"Oh, are we having that talk?" Junpei asked.

"I'll save the details for later. See you there." With that, she left.

Minato looked at his watch. "That wasn't even a minute."

"She's probably busy with things like Student Council, unlike us." Yukari made a face.

Hm? Did they not get on?

"Whoa, Yuka-tan! Do I sense some hostility?"

"It's not that I don't like her… She's just…" Yukari sighed. "Whatever."

Right. Minato'd have to milk her for answers later. For now, lunch.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

By the time Minato had gotten back to the dorm, everyone was already gathered, with the Chairman sitting there.

He looked at Minato and then smiled. "Okay, everybody's here. I'd like your undivided attention." He cleared his throat. "For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we've had. But, that number has recently jumped to five." They all nodded. "Therefore, I would like to commence the exploration of Tartarus." Ikutsuki focused his attention to Minato and Junpei. "Tartarus only appears during the Dark Hour."

Minato had figured that much.

"The… Dark Hour…?"

Minato mentally facepalmed. They didn't even bother to brief him?

"Just like the Shadows. Interesting, huh?" Akihiko smirked. "And it's the perfect place for us to train. You can think of it as a Shadow nest."

Junpei was impressed. "Whoa… There nest, huh?"

"But, Senpai… What about your injury?" Yukari asked in concern.

Mitsuru smiled at Akihiko, it wasn't warm but it was threatening. "Since Akihiko hasn't fully recovered yet, he'll only come as far as the entrance."

Akihiko groaned. "I know that…"

Ikutsuki chuckled. "Well, I'm sure he won't complain, as long as you don't go too far in. Since we're dealing with Shadows, Tartarus isn't something we can avoid."

Junpei hit his chest. "Relax, I've got your backs!"

Yukari, on the other hand, didn't look comfortable. "I'm not so sure about this…."

Mitsuru turned to the Chairman. "What about you, Mr. Chairman?"

"I'll stay here." He said. "As you know, I can't summon a Persona…"

**~ Memento Mori ~**

The five of them stopped as they reached the schools gates. Junpei's jaw promptly dropped.

"This is it?" He asked in disbelief. "_This _is the place? Why HERE!?"

"I knew it." Minato spoke, drawing attention to him. "School IS the source of all evil…"

Akihiko sighed, checking his watch. "Just wait a couple of seconds… It's almost midnight."

…

**DOOM**


	5. Chapter 5

**P3: Twisted Melodies**

Minato watched with awe-struck horror as their school began to rise, pillars shooting out from the building and its appearance greatly altered. It was the most horrifying thing he had ever seen, yet it looked to magnificent under the moon's eerie glow.

Mitsuru turned around to face them. "This… is Tartarus—the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour."

Junpei was baffled. "Labyrinth?! What are you talking about?! What happened to our school?!"

It became a tower of doom, Junpei.

"Once the Dark Hour passes, everything returns to normal"

That is not the answer to his question.

Junpei turned to Akihiko. "This is the 'nest' you were talking about?! But, why?! Why'd our school turn into a giant tower?!"

Because of some twisted event in the past that altered the world forever, duh. Didn't he ever watch all those Shonen anime, read all that manga, or play all those games?

Mitsuru was silent.

"You don't know, either?"

"…. No." Well, that was interesting… Meh, it was probably nothing.

"I'm sure it's complicated." Yukari spoke up. "Who cares anyway? It's not like it could change our minds about fighting."

You never know…

Akihiko stretched a little and then winced. "Well," he started, massaging his arm, "maybe now we'll find out. Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it. Exciting isn't it?" Junpei certainly thought so, judging from the sparkly eyes. "There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour"

"Akihiko…" Misturu smiled, eyes closed. "I respect your enthusiasm, but you won't be accompanying us today."

Akihiko twitched and sighed. "I know…." He groaned. "You don't have to remind me."

Minato, growing tired of their time-wasting, had started into the tower then. Everyone followed suit and-

Whoa…. Nice place.

"It's just as cool on the inside…"

Junpei… This thing's floating right above an Abyss of Death and Despair.

"But it sure is creepy…"

Correction, Yukari. It's trippy.

"This is only the entrance." Mitsuru explained before gesturing to a staircase that was headed right for a giant, trippy-as-hell clock. "The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs."

Doorway? Oh… There it was…

"First, we'll have you three get a feel for this place." Akihiko said. "Why don't you go have a look around?"

Minato noticed a blue door right at the edge of the floor.

"What?! By ourselves?!"

Well, you obviously didn't see it…

"We're not asking you to go very far, and I'll be feeding you information from here."

He was already walking towards it.

"So… You two didn't plan on coming in the first place?"

You see it too?

"That's right. We're also going to appoint a leader to make any necessary decisions."

"For real? One of us?"

No Junpei, it was going to be him.

"Oh! OH! Me, me, ME! Pick me!"

Aaaand… you just blew your chance of being picked!

"…Minato," Said boy abruptly turned around as people focused on him. "You're in charge."

Told ya.

"W-wait! Why him?! He doesn't look like a leader!"

What? So the leader was supposed to look like an ugly pig?

Yukari rose to his defense. "But, he HAS fought them before."

And almost died.

"Seriously?" Jaw drop.

"That's true…" Akihiko started. "But there's another reason. You two…" Yukari and Junpei turn to Akihiko who had his evoker had while Minato turned back to the door.

"Can you summon your Persona without any difficulties, like he can?"

Just a little bit more…

"Y-yeah of course I can!"

Lies.

"I think so…"

More lies.

Hey, the key was glowing!

"BANG!" ARMSHOT! "These are Shadows we're talking about here. Without your Persona, you're screwed."

Ew, no.

"I'm aware of that…"

AHA! Minato stuck the key into the keyhole and the door opened.

"I've been waiting for you…" Igor spoke, grinning as he did so. "The time has come for you to wield your power. The tower that you are about to venture into… How did it come to be?" Did you not listen to his thoughts earlier? "For what purpose does it exist?" That… well, that he didn't know. "Regrettably, you are not yet capable of answering these questions. That is why you must be made aware of the nature of your power."

Minato sat down on the chair. "The nature of my power?"

Igor's grin widened, if that was eve possible. "Your power is unique. It's like the number zero… It's empty, but at the same time holds infinite possibilities." Well, how about that. "You are able to posses multiple Personas, and summon them as needed." Wait a second here… "And when you have defeated your enemies, you will see the faces of possibilities before you." Persona sound awfully familiar…" There may be times when they are difficult to grasp..." Seriously… Where has he heard that term before? "But, do not fear… Seize what you have earned. Your power will grow accordingly… Be sure to keep that in mind…" There!

"Wasn't Persona included in Carl Jung's research or whatever?"

Igor was still grinning as he stared into Minato's eyes with his own bulging ones. "My spare time will soon be scarce." He said as Minato looked away. "But, please… come again of your own accord." Will do. "I'll tell you then about my true role… the manner in which I can best assist you."

Minato stood up. "Thanks…"

"Until then… Farewell."

And with that, he was back in Tartarus.

Trippy.

Yukari tapped his shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?"

Minato shook his head. "Fine, fine… That abyss is trippy as hell."

Junpei stared down. "Sheesh, what's so- Wait… did something move in there?"

See? Trippy.

Yukari shook her head. "Come on, let's go." She handed him a bag that went around your waste like those in Naruto and a transceiver.

They walked up the stairs with Minato leading the party. The inside? It looked like a twisted version of their school and was very green.

"So…" Junpei looked around. "This is it, huh?"

"I hope I don't get lost."

People are supposed to get lost in labyrinths.

**Can you all here me?**

Minato put a hand to his ear. "Loud and clear."

"Whoa! Is that you senpai?"

No Junpei, it is a force of pure evil that will eat our souls.

**I'll be providing audio back-up from here on out.**

"Wait… you mean, you can see inside here?"

**It's my Persona's ability. I'd like to join you, but the structure of Tartarus changes from day to day. That's why outside support is imperative.**

"Well, THAT makes me feel a whole lot better…"

Mitsuru chose to ignore that**. Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute. They shouldn't be too tough, but proceed with caution. **Meaning they still are. **Practice makes perfect.**

Right then.

They began to wander around. **Let us begin. Keep in mind these are real battles you'll be engaging in. Now, see if you eliminate all Shadows wandering on this floor.**

Minato checked the corner. He saw something move in the darkness.

**Watch out! I detect a Shadow in front of you! **That's all he needed to hear. **M-**

Minato began charging at it and stabbed it where the back of its head would've been. The Shadow squirmed as the sword broke through its mask. Minato pulled out his evoker and summoned Orpheus. The Shadow was set on fire and Minato pulled out his sword as it melted into nothingness.

**What a stunning victory! **Mitsuru commended as Yukari and Junpei ran up to him.

Yukari looked relived. "Don't do that! You could've gotten hurt!"

Junpei, however was a mixture of impressed and disappointed. "Dude, next time save some for me."

Minato just shrugged. "Come on." He stalked forward, making sure his guard was up. Junpei followed and so did Yukari.

It wasn't long until they came across a set of stairs. **Do you see the staircase? It is your only way to proceed to the next floor. I can't allow you to go any higher today, but please remember about it for next time.**

The group turned to a dark corner. ** I detect Shadows in front of you! **Mitsuru alerted. **You'll be at a disadvantage if the enemy gets the first hit in, so try to surprise them and strike first.**

Right.

Minato turned to Yukari and Junpei. "Yukari, I want you to attract their attention by shooting an arrow in their direction and then Junpei and I will attack them." They nodded.

Yukari stood behind Junpei and Minato who were posed and ready. She let loose an arrow and a loud screech could be heard. Soon, two Shadows similar to the previous one came running towards them. One had an arrow stuck in its eye.

Minato stabbed his sword into the Shadow's mask as Junpei swung at the other one. He pulled his sword out and slammed the hilt of his blade into the crack, making it grow before he got his arm clawed by it.

"Argh!" Minato howled in pain as he dropped his sword, but then he kicked it aside and it splattered against the wall. He stomped on the mask with his foot and then took put his Evoker and shot himself in the head and let Orpheus finish it off by Bashing it.

Minato spun around just in time to see Junpei summon his Persona for the first time. It looked humanoid and had skeletal-like wings with a blue and gold theme going on.

"HERMES!" The capped boy announced as the Persona flew through the Shadow, getting rid of it.

Wait… Hermes?

"Minato!" Yukari exclaimed in horror when she saw him. Oh yeah, his arm was bleeding. She took her gun and put it to her forehead. "IO!" A girl chained on a cow's head appeared and his arm healed.

That's awfully convenient.

"Dude, are you okay?" Asked Junpei.

Minato nodded. "Thanks Yukari." He went to pick up his sword.

"Let's go." And they continued on.

It wasn't until they reached an intersection when they came across another set of Shadows. They were already crawling out the corner so they had to be cautious.

Minato had silently summoned Orpheus to set one of the three on fire and it was left screeching and running around madly. Next, Yukari shot the very same Shadow and killed it. Junpei, being an idiot, charged in to attack the remaing to and in turned got clawed several times.

He was sprawled out on the ground when Minato came in. "Junpei, what were you thinking?" He asked as he took out his evoker and summoned Orpheus again setting them on fire one after the other, after that he summoned the musician again so he could Bash them against the wall.

Time froze and cards appeared in Minato's head. They shuffled themselves and just floated there afterwards. Minato picked the one that looked like a Persona.

Minato turned around to see Yukari heal Junpei. He offered a hand to help him up, he didn't take it.

Hermes… the one who took Eurydice, Orpheus's wife away when they were getting out and he looked back. Of course.

"Come on. Let's get this over with." Junpei groaned out in irritation. Minato nodded and they continued forward.

**I detect several Shadows up ahead. **Mitsuru announced. Minato looked around the corner. There were four and they were already approaching them. He hurriedly summoned Orpheus to throw them back.

Yukari and Junpei quickly followed that attack up with their own. They went forward, poised and ready to strike as the Shadows charged for them.

Minato facepalmed a Shadow and slammed it to the ground repeatedly before taking out his sword and stabbing it. The Shadow dissolved into Ichor and coated his hand. The boy then spun around to tackle another Shadow that was going for him and threw it against the wall. He summoned Orpheus to incinerate it and his job was done.

Yukari had sent one flying by using a wind skill and then proceeded to shoot it continuously with her arrows until it dissolved.

Junpei swung at the last Shadow in an attempt to slice its mask off. He then summoned Hermes to finish the job.

Time froze again. This time, only two cards were in his head. He picked the other one.

**Good job. **Commended Mitsuru. ** That's strange… I don't detect anymore Shadows. **Really? ** Well, at least you got some experience in battle. Let's go back to the dorm for today. There should be an Access Point nearby. You can use it to get back. Since there aren't anymore enemies, why don't you split up and search individually?**

Minato shrugged. "Okay, split and look for whatever you can find. Whoever finds the access point, inform the others immediately. Go."

On his way, he found several cases with Medicine patches in them which he found rather odd. He looked around. It felt as if something was watching them through the walls.

**I found the Access Point! **Yukari announced.

"Good job." Minato replied. "Let's head back."

The trio was warped back to the entrance where Mitsuru and Akihiko were waiting.

"Welcome back." Said Mitsuru. "So, how was it?"

"No problem." Minato replied.

Mitsuru seemed proud. "I see. Well, if you gained confidence, that'S the best thing you could've achieved."

Minato nodded.

"Wow…" Junpei started, staring at the Evoker in his hands. "I never knew I had that kind of power! We kicked some ass!" He then proceeded to pant. "But damn, I'm beat…"

"That's because you were bouncing around like a little kid." Yukari replied, looking tired herself.

"You look pretty tired yourself, Yuka-tan."

"I'm still trying to catch my breath actually."

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour; you'll become fatigued more easily." Misturu stated. "Don't worry though, you'll adapt. But, I'm surprised… You all did much better than I expected." She must've had pretty low expectations for Junpei. He was using his katana like a baseball bat.

She turned to Akihiko. "At this rate, they'll catch up to you in no time, Akihiko."

Akihiko smirked. "Heh, we'll see about that."

Time froze yet again as he heard glass break and the same card from the other showed in his head.

_Thou shalt have our blessing when thou chooseth to create a Persona of the Fool Arcana…_

And so time started and they went back home, glad to have survived.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

* * *

5th chapter 1st AN. Wooooo!

Ahem.

There's a Spin-Off for this. It's called Turmoil of the Soul and it focuses on the FeMC(No shit, sherlock). I recommend you read it as well X3

Buh-bye now!


	6. Chapter 6

**P3: Twisted Melodies**

Minato yawned as he walked to school. That trip to Tartarus had finally had its effect catch up with him and he was now totally knackered. He'd have to catch up on sleep during Ekoda's class.

Just then, he was approached by a brown-haired student. "Hey, you're Minato, right?"

"And you are?"

The student grinned. "Man, I knew it!" He started to keep pace with him. "I heard from Junpei that you're pretty close with Yukari-san." He made a mental note to strangle Junpei later. "What's up with that? Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I'm looking for someone with more experience anyway…" He glanced around for a while before sighing in defeat. "By the way, I'm Kenji Tomochika. There's a morning assembly, so we better hurry."

Change of plans, he would catch up on sleep there.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

"Dude! Minato, wake up!"

Minato groaned and slapped whoever that was away.

"Mitsuru-senpai's gonna have her speech!"

He sighed in defeat and sat up properly.

"Sheesh, man…"

Minato glared at Junpei who laughed nervously.

"Let it go, Minato." Yukari chided.

"Thank you." The trio heard so they directed their attention towards the podium. Mitsuru stood there, the perfect role model.

"So, she did get elected…" Yukari said in a tone. "Well, I guess she IS the most popular girl in school."

What was the deal between those two anyway?

"You can say that again!" Junpei agreed. "There's like some kinda aura around her… Besides, this school's owned by the Kirijo Group, right?"

"Yeah, I try not to think about it."

Seriously woman, what is your deal?

Minato shook his head and leaned back against his chair.

"As I begin my term as Student Council President, I'd like to share with you my vision for this coming year. It is my firm belief that each of us must accept the responsibility of bettering our school." She looked everyone in the crowd over. "However, change cannot occur without sustained effort and an unprecedented level of commitment. That is why we must restructure our daily lives to accomplish this lofty goal. I'd like each of you to dig deeply into your well of motivation, and re-evaluate your convictions…" She paused. "To imagine a bold new future without losing sight of the realities around you. That is the key. I am certain that many of you have your own visions of the future…" Another pause, there was a slightest hint of a smile in her voice. "For us to reap the full benefits of our education, your participation, ideas, and enthusiasm are essential. Thank you."

The entire auditorium erupted with applause as Mitsuru stepped back.

"Dang…" Junpei started with awe. "That was freaking amazing." The applause started to die down. He turned to Minato who was still seated. "So, do you have any idea about what she just said?"

Minato stood up. "I wasn't listening."

Junpei looked at him in exasperation. "Dude… You're such a rebel."

**~ Memento Mori ~**

After lunch, Ms. Toriumi walked in the room. "All right," She started as she slammed her textbook on the podium. "Today, we'll be going over the Meiji-era literature."

Minato slammed his head on his desk and started to doze off.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Classes have ended and he was approached by Kenji. "Hey man, we have to give Ms. Toriumi cake along with the homework she gives out next time."

"Why?"

"Because we slept in her class." Kenji sighed.

Minato nodded. He gathered his things and left. Outside the room, he ran into Junpei, so they decided to return to the dorm together.

"Look, it's Akihiko-senpai!" they heard a girl squeal after they left the school building. And soon, the said senior was surrounded by a flock of screaming girls.

"Have you noticed how popular Akihiko-san is with the ladies?" Junpei asked Minato.

No, Junpei. He certainly did not notice those _screaming _girls surrounding him. Sheesh.

"Man, take a look at that…" Junpei sounded slightly jealous. "I didn't use to talk to him much, but now I've got a good excuse. I know he's the captain of the boxing team, but who woulda thought he'd be such a chick magnet?! I mean, come on! You don't even see girls flock like that on TV!" Make that really jealous. "I wonder where they're going…"

Akihiko took notice of them then and approached the duo. Minato groaned internally. He did not want to get a headache or lose his ears.

"Senpai!" One girl squeed.

Kill him now.

"Wait for us!"

No more…

"Hey, are you guys free this afternoon?" Akihiko asked Minato and Junpei.

"Hell yeah!" Junpei replied enthusiastically. "Whatcha got in mind?"

"I want the two of you to meet me in Paulownia Mall. You know where it is, right? I'll be at the Police Station. See ya there."

"Th-the Police Station?!" Junpei seemed rather disappointed. "You mean… we're not hangin' out with your friends?!"

Why are you so desperate?

"Who, these girls?" Akihiko gestured at the girls behind him with his thumb, not even bothering to look. "I don't even know their names. They talk so much they give me a headache." He couldn't agree more. "Anyway, I'm gonna head out. Don't keep me waiting." He started jogging away at a faster-than-normal pace, losing the girls almost immediately.

Junpei was utterly perplexed. "How can he not know their names?! I mean, seriously! Just look at them!"

Minato shook his head.

The capped boy grumbled. "Whatever… Let's go."

And so, Minato turned on his player and put on his headphones, tuning out Junpei's whining.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

When they got there, they found Akihiko talking to a man who seemed rather familiar to Minato.

"Thank you, sir." They caught Akihiko say as they got in. "Oh, these guys are the ones I was talking about earlier."

He looked both of them over, but his gaze lingered on Minato longer.

Akihiko turned to them. "This is Officer Kurosawa, He helps keeps our squad well-equipped." Minato raised an eyebrow that. "And, this is from Ikutsuki-san…" He handed them 5,000 yen each.

"R-really?! Sweet!" Junpei took the money excitedly, Minato simply shrugged.

Akihiko nodded. "You can't fight something empty-handed, so find something you like." He glanced at Kurosawa. "Officer Kurosawa has connections… But, these things still cost money."

Kurosawa nodded. "Of course they do. Nothing in life is free."

"I realize that. Well, I'll see you later. Thanks Again." With that, Akihiko left.

Kurosawa turned to them again. "I've been informed about you two. My job is to maintain peace in this city, regardless of the circumstances. I'm just an ordinary police officer, but it doesn't take a genius to something strange is going on here. I'm only doing what I think is right. Come with me."

He took them to a room out back. There was a line of equipment on the shelves. Minato headed for a sword which was, naturally, in a better state than the piece of trash handed to him before. He took that one and paid for it. Junpei, on the other hand, didn't take anything.

Minato shrugged and placed the sword in his school bag.

Junpei grumbled as they exited the station. "Psh, only 5,000 yen… I'm gonna take off, since I'm in a bad mood now. Later."

Yeah, right. You're just pissed 'cuz Akihiko's not interested in the female population, therefore killing your chances of hanging out with one of his fangirls.

Wait… did that mean Akihiko was gay…?

Minato made a mental note to be careful around him.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

"Welcome back." Mitsuru greeted when he got back to the dorm. He logged in real quick. Before turning his attention to her. "I'd like to speak to you regarding our exploration of Tartarus."

Minato sat down on the couch across her. "Go on."

Mitsuru nodded. "Akihiko is still on the mend, so for now, I'd like you to continue leading the deal." He thought so. "You never know when a powerful enemy, like the one we faced the other day, may appear. It's best to be prepared, or else you may find yourself in a difficult situation." Minato nodded. "So, whenever you'd like to go to Tartarus, just let me know, and I'll gather everyone there." Mitsuru paused for a second. "Also, since I'm sure there are other things you will need to take care of, you may go out at night if you need to, just be careful. That's it. Keep up the good work."

Minato nodded. "Okay."

He stood up and took his bag back to his room before heading down and logged out. "I'm heading out for dinner." He told them before getting out.

Minato sat at the station waiting for the monorail to arrive when he saw someone pass by. The silhouette seemed like the Chairman to him, but he couldn't be sure. Besides, what would he be doing out at this time of night anyway?

The train soon arrived and Minato got on. While he was there, he closed his eyes and focused on the music that was blasting in his ears.

After he got off, he could've sworn that he saw the very same silhouette go into the alley behind the station. Minato chose to shrug it off and went for the mall.

**~ Memento Mori ~**

Minato sat on the bench, leaning against its backrest, after having eaten. He had spotted some stores that were hiring part-time workers, so he would have to contact them later, since he would obviously need money.

The boy stood up and decided to walk around a bit. There was something in the back alley that had caught his attention: A velvet blue door that looked exactly like the one that directed him to the Velvet Room.

Minato dug out the Velvet Key in his pocket, it was getting hotter and was glowing. He decided to stick it in the key hole.

Igor grinned. "Ah, there you are. Welcome to the Velvet Room."

Minato nodded as he took his seat in front of Igor, but not before glancing at Elizabeth who was still standing dutifully at her master's side.

"Well… I suppose it's time for me to explain what I really do here." Minato thought it was only right to do so. "It is my job to create new Personas." What? "But in order to do so, you must sacrifice some of your current Personas so that I may fuse them together… In other words, I shall merge them into a single Persona. Furthermore, if you've established a Social Link, you may be able to create an even stronger Persona." Igor's grin widened. "So, as you accumulate cards, please bring them to me."

Minato didn't know why, but he was really beginning to feel like he was in a video game of some sort.

He stood up. "Thanks, I suppose. I'll be going now."

"'Till we meet again…" Igor bid farewell with a grin.

Elizabeth opened the door for him and he found himself back at the mall.

Minato decided to go back to the dorm for now.


End file.
